The Sig Sauer M18 pistol is temporarily suspended in the US Air Force across the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) after the tragic death of a current-duty airman on July 20, 2025, at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. The accident, which happened within the 90th Security Forces Squadron, is being investigated by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI), and details remain classified.
In a report by Task & Purpose, a July 21 memo confirmed by AFGSC spokesman Charles Hoffman directed the M18 pistols to be replaced, effective immediately, with M-4 rifles for operational and training purposes. The action is characterized as precautionary until the investigation is complete.
“This will continue to be in place during the investigations out of an abundance of caution and for the safety and security of our personnel,” Hoffman said.
Background: Safety Concerns Plague the M18
The Sig Sauer M18 is a compact form of the P320 platform and was adopted as a standard military sidearm in 2017. The firearm has since been at the center of several controversies surrounding reported accidental discharges. More than 100 such reports have been made in military and law enforcement environments.
The US Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) prohibited the P320 line on July 9 on grounds of safety concerns. Other departments, such as the Dallas Police and Milwaukee Police, have also taken guns out of use. ICE itself has already placed orders for Glock 19 MOS pistols to replace the P320 series.
Investigation Underway at Strategic Nuclear Base
F.E. Warren AFB is also key to U.S. nuclear missile defense, hosting the 90th Missile Wing that protects Minuteman III ICBMs. The leaked AFGSC memorandum also ordered “100% inspections of all Wing-assigned M18 weapons systems” by Combat Arms staff, highlighting the gravity of the safety issues.
Though no formal cause of the death of the airman has been revealed, the investigation centers on whether the M18 pistol had a role. In a March 7 statement, Sig Sauer continued to assert:
“The P320 CANNOT discharge without a trigger pull—that is a fact.”
Although the manufacturer insists, increased skepticism regarding the reliability of the weapon has prompted broader institutional reviews within agencies.
